Try
by RainbowAnatomy
Summary: That's why she pushed him away. That's why he was trying.
1. Chapter 1

**Try**

**Paring: **Rose and Duplicate Ten

**Disclaimer: If I owned it, you'd know it.**

**~Try~**

He was a lot of things. He was tall, lean, young, handsome. His teeth were still perfect, smile just as bright, his hair still velvet soft. His eyes were deep and welcoming, his arms strong and warm, his laugh, oh his laugh, still like a cool breeze on a summer's day. So he was a lot of things. But he wasn't _him. _

That's why she pushed him away. Faced away from him in bed at night. Walked along the beach's shore until her skin looked like it would be pruney forever.

That's why he was trying. Laid awake at night in bed incase she woke up needing to talk. Waited for her in the car with a bag full of sunblock and so many sandwiches that half of them almost always went bad. But it did no good for either of them.

"Rose," he murmured to her one night before she could fall asleep and forget he existed, voice soft to avoid scaring her off.

"Yeah?" she returned, voice shaky and hollow.

"I'm really trying, you know that?" He put his hands behind his head, scrunching his toes against the comforter.

"Yeah," she repeated, turning on her side, away from him, eyes staring out the window at the moon, "I know."

"Well, it doesn't seem like you really know."

"What? You want me to apologize? The real, original Doctor is out there and I have to have a… a duplicate."

The word laced scars in his heart. But he knew why she was saying it.

"I am him, you know that. I am the Doctor. Your doctor."

"Yeah…," she turned onto her back, staring up at the ceiling, trying to see beyond her universe into _his, _"I'm not so sure about that."

They laid side by side in silence, not touching, just thinking, until he reached his arm out and pulled her gently, closing the wide gap between them. Despite her reasoning to remain stiff and frozen in her spot, she went with his arm instinctively, turning onto her side, staring at the ridge that was the doctor's body, resting her head agains the left side of his chest.

She could hear it. His one heartbeat. A steady, soft, lulling rhythm so comforting she felt the tension in her body unfurl.

"I could leave, you know," he breathed quietly, chin resting on the top of her head.

"Yeah," she whispered back, tears springing to her eyes, "I know."

"Do you want me to leave?"

Her tears spill over, sliding sideways down her cheeks, making splotches on his nightshirt. Her arms came up, wrapping around his shoulders, tightening her grip. She buried her face in his chest, a sob forcing its way out of her mouth.

"_No,_" she whispered against him, "No, please don't leave me. I'll try. I really will."

He let out a laugh. "Don't worry about trying. You already have me."

"Yeah?" She inhaled shakily. He reached down and brushed the tears from her cheeks with his thumb, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah," he murmured, "Always."

He tilted her head back, touching their lips together. His lips, still full and clumsy and just like home.

And she began to try.


	2. Chapter 2

**Try **

**A/N:** So GriffinGirl8655 asked if this was going to be a multi chapter fic. I don't think it will be like a real fic with in-depth plot lines, but I don't protest to doing some cute fluff of them together, so multi chapter it shall be! Here it is:

**~Try, Chapter 2~**

"_Rose_," someone whispered into her ear. She stirred, barely opening her eyes. He smiled, nose inches from hers, "Good morning, sleepy head."

"Ten more minutes," she whispered back, rolling onto her stomach and pressing her face into the pillow. She had ended up on his side of the bed and breathed him in. Even his smell was similar to _him_. She wasn't sure if that made her miss _him _even more, or made her want to try harder.

"I made breakfast."

She lifted her head. His smile grew wider. Through her tangled hair, she smiled back. He held out his hands and she paused.

"What did you make?"

"You said you would try, Rose." His eyes went dark. Her chest squeezed.

"I did," she repeated, and placed her hands in his. They were strong. She could feel his pulse in his fingertips. An urge to have them trail the length of her body flitted through her head. She pushed the thought aside as he laced their fingers together.

The living room windows were open, letting in natural light and a delightfully warm breeze. The house seemed to have shifted forward, waiting for something. What that something was, she didn't know. It was exciting for once, the not knowing.

"Sausages, eggs, and," he announced as they walked into the kitchen, "I woke up early to make these." He held up a plate, which presented half a dozen cinnamon rolls.

"You _made _those?" she asked, letting go of his hand to try one.

"What do you think?" His eyes had not gotten lighter. They watched her carefully.

"It's _delicious!_"

"You think so?" He flashed his smile again. Her heart thudded. It was _his _smile. Always _his _smile. She nodded confirmation. Her next bite went down like cardboard.

"So," she started as he dished out the rest of their breakfast, "What are we doing today?"

"You aren't needed in UNIT today, are you?" he asked, draping his hand over hers again. Warm.

"No."

"Then it's too beautiful of a day to waste inside. It should be shared with a beautiful woman."

"Who's that, then?" she asked, just to hear him say,

"You." And he leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead.


	3. Chapter 3

**Try**

**AN: **I just wanted to bang out a quick ending so I'll be posting all the following chapters. They probably aren't so great, so disregard them. The first chapter is the real story anyway! This is just fluff and filler. :P

**~Try, Chapter 3~**

A picnic. That's what he had planned. He had found a new trench coat when he had first arrived, and now he was spreading it out on the grass. She wasn't sure if he was remembering_ their_ time in New New York or if it was purely coincidental. Either way, she dropped to the ground next to him.

"It_ is_ a beautiful day," she sighed, stretching out her arms and legs, running her fingers through the grass. It was still wet with morning due, despite it being the afternoon, and she smiled. It was almost like she was back home, on one of those rare stolen long lunch breaks with Mickey. He rolled onto his stomach next to her and their elbows bumped.

"You miss it," he stated as they watched people pass, hurrying along their business.

"Miss what?" she returned, pushing a lock of stray hair in front of her eyes.

"London. Your London."

"How did you know I was thinking about it?"

He turned his head, his hair tangling into the dirt and grass. She turned to face him, too, reaching out a tentative hand to trail it down his face, pressing her thumb to his chin.

"Are you going to kiss me, Rose Tyler?" he asked, eyes now light and joking.

"Shut up," she countered, closing the distance between them. Just like last night, the feel of his lips against hers made her feel like she was home.

He was _him_. More or less. She _knew _that. But the difference never felt more nonexistent than when they were kissing. Maybe it was because her eyes were closed and he smelled like _him _and tasted like _him, _so why _wouldn't _it be _him? _

She pulled herself closer to him by his suit collar, one similar to _his. _

He just laid still, pressing their fingertips together, letting her do whatever she wanted.

In the middle of the park, she could feel herself getting carried away. Their kiss broke, his forehead touching hers, her breath fast and hitched.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the sky without a response.


	4. Chapter 4

**~Try, Chapter 4~**

Two months had passed. She was trying her hardest, he knew that. He shouldn't feel grateful that someone was trying to love him, but he _did. _Every time she looked at him across the bed, he thanked every star in the sky.

She caught him staring at her as they walked to dinner.

"What?" she asked, flushing. He shook his head and merely said,

"Rose Tyler." Her face lit up. Those words were all it took these days to get her to smile. Their hands joined without a second thought and he pulled her against him. Her laughter rang out like a field of birds taking flight, heading for home.

"So it's a fancy date night, then?"

"Only the best for my best," he told her.

"You're too good for me." They paused. He hugged her tight against him, kissing her in the middle of the busy street. She pushed him away gently. "I'm _hungry,_" she insisted. And he chuckled.

He was _him. _More or less. Except this time, she really knew that. _He _wanted her to be happy. And he had been trying so hard to make her happy. These passed months he had succeeded so well, she didn't remember the last time she had laughed so much.

"Cheers," he said when they had reached their destination and had been seated-"Red wine?" she had remarked. He had just flagged down the waiter for the whole bottle.

"Cheers," she returned, clinking their glasses together.


	5. Chapter 5

**~Try, Chapter 5~**

The night air was buzzing with more activity than before. People pushed passed them, laughing with their friends. Across the street as they waited for their light, a couple was in the middle of an intense kiss. She held his hand tighter, suddenly feeling luckier than anyone else in all the universes.

"Come on, don't get tired on me now," he laughed, tugging her hand. She refocused, realizing the crossing light had changed in their favor.

They continued along.

"Dinner was so amazing," she told him, "Thank you."

"It was nothing. What did I say?"

"You say a lot of things. Like, for some odd reason, you told me bananas are always good at parties."

They laughed and he squeezed her hand. "No, earlier today. Only the best for my best."

She stopped. He continued, stopping when their hands were stretched out between them. She pulled him back towards her, leaning up on her toes to kiss him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders like the other woman in the couple had. Their bodies curved together.

"Rose," he whispered when she paused to catch her breath. She cut him off with another quick kiss. He felt his pants get tighter.

_Try_. Suddenly the word felt cruel. Try? Something inside her shifted and she felt so _happy. _The desire she had suppressed to get over _him _welled in her. For him.

She pulled back again and breathed, "Take me home."


	6. Chapter 6

**Try**

**AN: **So, as you may have noticed, the chapters got shorter as you went along. Totally intentional! Idk, new style for me, maybe. Anyway, the last installment!

**~Try, Chapter 6~**

"Doctor?" she whispered against his skin afterwards, lips still leaving him tingling. She had never called him _Doctor _before.

He smiled into her hair, toying with the ends, his eyes starting to droop shut, whispering, "Yes, Rose?"

"I love you."

His breath caught in his throat and he shifted, staring down into her eyes. She stared back, eyes nervous, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

"I love you, too."

The smile that spread across her face before he captured her lips on his own told them trying was far behind them.

**The End**


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